economy

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Gas prices riding high this Thanksgiving week

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Looking for bargains this Thanksgiving week? Head for the malls or shopping centers, but don’t expect to find great deals at the local gasoline pumps.  If you’re hitting the road for Thanksgiving take along some extra cash or plan on swiping your credit card a few times, because the trip is going to cost ya! […]
Friday, September 18, 2009

Jobless rates jump! Where is that recovery?

Some grim economic news out today from the federal government about the number of Americans out of work. The federal data shows the unemployment rate continues to rise despite reports from some experts that the recovery from this dreaded recession is underway. The California jobless rate rose from 11.9% to a record high of 12.2% in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. […]
Monday, September 7, 2009

Happy Labor Day!

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank I have some mixed feelings on this Labor Day. Nationally, unemployment is at a 26-year high of 9.7%.  In California, the jobless rate has soared to 11.9%. There is evidence the recession-battered economy is making a slow recovery, an encouraging sign. Still with so many people out of work it’s hard to cheer the upturn […]
Friday, June 19, 2009

Bummed by rising gas prices at the pumps!

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank A sure sign of summer, rising gas prices. Wait a minute. Prices at the pumps have been climbing for a while. In fact, a gas spike has been underway for the past seven weeks with “no end in sight”, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch dated June 18, 2009. Locally, the price […]
Saturday, May 23, 2009

Mixed blessings on this Memorial Day holiday weekend

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank The economy is still struggling. Job layoffs by the thousands continue. Gasoline prices at the pumps are up. On Thursday, May 21, I paid $2.60 a gallon at a gas station in Burbank. A month ago at the same station, I paid $2.30 a gallon.  And food prices are still outrageously high; why is that […]
Monday, May 4, 2009

President Obama moves to plug tax loopholes & keep more U.S. jobs at home

Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters President Obama is making good on a campaign promise to overhaul the tax system. Today the president took aim at some loopholes in the tax code and the wealthy individuals and corporations that use them to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. At the White House, the president announced steps to crack down on overseas tax havens and to […]
Thursday, April 23, 2009

President Obama’s Earth Day challenge

Photo: Pete Souza/White House   President Barack Obama spent part of Earth Day in Newton, Iowa touring a wind tower production facility. In his Earth Day speech, the president described a major challenge facing our nation: “Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy.  The choice we face is between prosperity and decline.  We can […]
Thursday, April 16, 2009

Burbank Town Center’s management firm files for bankruptcy

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove More bad economic news. Today General Growth Properties, the second largest mall owner in the country, declared bankruptcy. It’s considered the largest real estate failure in U.S. history. General Growth Properties and 158 of its U.S. malls filed for protection under chapter 11. The Burbank Town Center is listed on GGP’s website as one of the properties […]
Friday, April 10, 2009

Romance novels hot sellers during the recession

  The recession is prompting a lot of folks to search for bargain escapes, and romance novels are at the top of the list. The struggles and disappointments of day-to-day living are apparently fueling the desire for entertainment with a happy ending, according to an article on the New York Times website.   While many categories of books are in a slump, romance novels are in demand. At Barnes & […]